Monday, 22 September 2008

Ly Ly Canteen

For some reason they have changed Ly Bar which was good into Ly Ly Canteen which is bad. Don't ask me why. Gone are the steamed sea bass, pork in a clay pot and dark mood lighting. In are imitation Wagamamma dishes, benches and bright lights.

We shared a bland salmon ramen which we doused in chiili... and were slightly more impressed by the salmon kichup manis with rice which was perfectly cooked but lacking in flavour.

The couple on the table next to us complained that their food had arrived too quickly... the implication being that the food is just popped in a micro-wave.

Our starters were actually quite decent. The sticky ribs were really good. The meat fell away from the bone. But the sauce was so hot that Cowie burnt her mouth with her first bite! Microwaved perhaps? It's actually dangerous to serve food, especially sugary sauces this hot. I remember McDonald's were once sued for serving coffee so hot it burnt a woman's lap. Maybe Cowie could sue for having her taste buds nailed! The dip should at the very least come with a government health warning.

We're disappointed Ly Bar has gone... and now looking forward to exploring the rest of Balham's restaurants. Cattle Grid and Dish Dash to be precise.

I had a meal there the other night, and you (browners) have given such a poor review of Ly ly Canteen. How the fuck are they going to succeed with people like you bad mouthing them. I live locally, and I'm all for supporting my local businesses. Maybe you don't like oriental food or something, because my friends and I really did enjoy their food! So next time, write something that is more deserving to read rather than your crappy reviews about tasteless salmon and piping hot sauce. You would complain if your sauce was cold so stop complaining about your sauce being hot! Fool! Count yourself lucky you never got food poisoning you daft bat!

I'm Chinese born and bred. What the hell! I enjoyed everything there. I've been there 7 times!!! What they cook is what I normally eat at home! It's fucking delicious!Does nobody uses the chilli oil and soya sauce and extra condiments on the table supplied for flavouring ?? Duh?

We had a brilliant experience at Ly Bar before it changed into Ly Ly Canteen. We loved it.

We love oriental food but were disappointed by the experience we had at Ly Ly Canteen. You've read the review and it has obviously annoyed you. I'm not going to say sorry for it because it is what I felt.

If you feel so strongly about how great the food is can I suggest you write a blog or a review somewhere with your view.

The experience that we had there was probably worthy of 2 stars. The couple next to us had to complain several times. And we burnt our mouths on a bowl of sticky sauce that was insanely hot that it scalded us. I'm all for hot food being hot and cold food being cold. But food that is so hot that it hurts you is not on.

I hope that what we experienced was a one off... and that normally they are brilliant.

What we write about

You'll find quite a few Scandinavian recipes and food adventures on here (I lived in Gothenburg for a couple of years).

But now I'm back in the UK. We still love to go on trips around the UK, staying in BnBs or camping in search of a good meal or two and often go on long bike rides just to have a good lunch somewhere - hence, Around Britain with a Paunch. Quite often the trips have been prompted by Diana Henry's Gastro Pub Cookbook. Here's where we've been to: